Photo By Staff Sgt. Killo Gibson | Staff members participating in Western Accord 2015 discuss operations during the...... read more read more
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands – Gunfire filled the air early Monday morning in a little town in eastern Mali. The number of casualties and damage to property were unknown.
Fortunately, this was just a computer-simulated attack during the command post exercise phase of Western Accord 2015, which is held at Winkelman Kazerne, Harskamp, The Netherlands from July 20-31.
The annual exercise is designed to assess U.S., European, and African partner nation staff’s on their ability to conduct United Nations Peace Operations using the current U.N. Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA).
Although the participants of the exercise will not be a part of current missions in Mali, they will replicate a combined U.N. staff and target real-world scenarios the U.N. is currently facing in the region.
The U.S. Army has long used command post exercises to train and evaluate headquarters leadership’s ability to plan and react to the ever-changing battlefield.
“As these series of exercises continue, I hope our European, and African partner nations adapt similar scenario-driven models to increase the proficiency of the staff headquarters” said Col. Barry “Chip” Daniels, commander, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, and Western Accord Chief of Staff U.S. Forces.
The staff had a week to plan and prepare for the CPX. This allowed participants to overcome any cultural or language barriers.
“I think the academics phase of the exercise was key to the success of the CPX,” said Maj. Nicholas Swaggert, Logistics Observer Trainer. “It allowed us to hit the ground running.”
During the four-day CPX, participants were challenged with scenarios ranging from terrorist attacking a convoy of nongovernmental employees to providing aid to indigenous displaced personnel.
Lt. Col. Jonathan Shine, Deputy Chief of Staff, said, “the most difficult task would be to sustain a simulated U.N. casualty, and having to go through the process of securing and identifying those personnel in an austere environment, and having them evacuated out of the country. There are a lot of moving pieces, which require lots of coordination.”
With continued success during the CPX, the U.S., European, and African partner nations gained beneficial lessons to take back to their units.
“It is important we keep these documents when we return, so we can move forward and train others said, Lt. Col. Kouame Bi Jean-Luc, a staff officer from the Ivory Coast.
As the exercise wrapped up, participants said the bonds they formed between the U.S. and African partner nations will last well after the exercise.
“The US Army has a long history of maintaining close cooperation with members of other militaries in the promotion of stability and security,” said, Col. Melinda Mate, director of peace operations, Peace Keeping and Stability Institute. “Our cultures may be different but by coming together and sharing our experiences we can build our capacity to foster peace and stability.”
| Date Taken: | 07.28.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 08.12.2015 14:49 |
| Story ID: | 172958 |
| Location: | E, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 40 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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